Ambivalence
by Ion Halo
Summary: Post-Pacifist. Frisk is now living with Papyrus and Sans, spending time at Toriel's, Asgore's, and even Undyne's. As the days pass, Papyrus advises Frisk to pay more attention to a special someone. Possible Pacifist/Genocide spoilers included.
1. Chapter 1

**Howdy and welcome to this fanfic! I hope this will be a good story. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the story.**

* * *

"Hey, Frisk, wanna go to Grillby's?"

"No, I'm going to Undyne's with Papyrus. Why don't you just look for someone else to accompany you?"

"Huh. Alright then, kid, help me keep an eye for Paps, 'kay?"

But Frisk already left.

It was always the same when Sans tries to ask Frisk to have a meal with him. Frisk constantly finds an excuse to get out of it. He sighed, and made his way to Grillby's bar.

"Hello, Sans. How about trying to keep your record of coming in every thirty minutes? It's been ten minutes since you came in," greeted Grillby as Sans hopped onto his usual seat.

"How's the flamin' hot business of yours doing, Grillbz?" replied Sans, purposely averting the question. With another question, of course.

"Usual order?"

"Yep."

The food was served. Sans finished it in silence. "You don't want ketchup?" Grillby asked out of curiosity, because Sans always asked for a bottle.

"No, but I've got many things to ketch-up on, so please put it on my tab," replied Sans, finishing his food and hopping off the stool.

He took a shortcut to Undyne's house, only to find one of her windows broken, with Papyrus watching the happenings inside through said window. "What'cha doing out here?" asked Sans, approaching his brother. "Did you break any bones?"

"I am alright, dear brother. I just had this grand idea of having Undyne and Frisk spend some quality time before my cooking class begins, and my cooking class starts at five, it is four-thirty right now," replied Papyrus. "Wait a minute… don't you need to run your hotdog stand?" he asked, and was answered with a shrug.

Sans looked inside. "Oh, my…" he muttered. Undyne's house was a total warzone – the dining table was split in half, everything on the kitchen counter was swept to the floor, and wait… is the stove ON FIRE?

Undyne and Frisk stood in the middle of the room, wielding spears, tired but enjoying themselves. "NGAAAAH!" yelled Undyne as she brought her spear down at Frisk. They tried to deflect it, failing to notice that it was a feint. They stumbled, leaving an opening for an attack. Undyne, noticing her chance, yelled "Checkmate!" as she swung the spear towards Frisk's back. Frisk's eyes widened in alarm-

But the blow never came. Frisk heard someone crashing to the counter. They looked up to see Sans, right hand outstretched, with an eye flashing cyan and yellow. "You alright, kid?" he asked, letting Undyne go.

"Just a little disoriented is all," responded Frisk, panting. "What brings you here, Sans?" They looked into Sans's eye. "Why is your eye blue and yellow?"

"WHO DARES TO INTERRUPT OUR TRAINING SESSION!?" roared Undyne, trying to stand up.

"It's okay, Undyne. We could spar again sometime. Although, we should select a better location to spar," said Frisk. Sans's eye reverted to its usual black and white.

"Wowie! Look at the house! It's in shambles," commented Papyrus as he walked in. He hurried to Undyne and helped her up.

"Undyne, Frisk nearly died by your hands," Sans's pupils blackened.

"No, I did not try to kill the punk, and YOU…!" Undyne took a deep breath, checking herself. "Interrupted out battle, huh? Their SOUL is green, did you realize that? Besides, the spears are just training spears, not the real thing!"

"Yeah, Undyne was teaching me some weapon skills, not attacking me. The training spears do look realistic, don't they?" said Frisk.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Undyne. You alright?" Sans's eyes reverted to their original colour.

"Yeah, but your hit got me real good. I never knew you could fight this well,' responded Undyne, smiling widely.

"What about me, Undyne, what about my fighting skills?" asked Papyrus.

"Yours are alright, but you just need some improvements here and there,"

"Ha! The great Papyrus is also competent to fight! By the way, do you have any gross bandages, human? I'm sure that Undyne needs that," said Papyrus.

"H-hey! When did I say that I need them? It makes me look like I'm weak!" complained Undyne.

Sans left Undyne's house as soon as Undyne said that he was quite a good fighter. There were many things contradicting in his mind.

 _You know what? You can't let the human near your brother and Undyne!_

 _Well, why not?_

 _They're just gonna kill Papyrus when he trusts them enough, right? And then they're going to reset, and everyone will forget about it._

 _But they don't seem like they're hostile in this run, I mean, the Barrier is broken, right?_

 _Did you forget what Papyrus and Undyne looked like when they die? Oh! And why did you save the human just now?_

 _I don't know…_

 _You even let your secret slip! You're lucky that you didn't unleash a Gaster Blaster!_

 _…_

 _You think they noticed you leaving Undyne's house? Hah! Of course they didn't! Anyway, do you think they'll be grateful for saving them, or kill you all the same?_

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 **6 left.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am terrible in the subject of puns.**

* * *

Sans's assumption was wrong. Frisk did notice his absence.

' _Why did Sans leave so abruptly?'_ they thought as they helped Undyne and Papyrus tidy the house up.

It took them quite a while to put everything in order. In fact, most of Papyrus's cooking lesson consists of cleaning up the wrecked kitchen to its best. Undyne decided to cancel the cooking class because she had plans to have dinner with Alphys that evening. Even if she wanted to continue with the cooking lessons, she'd have to find a new kitchen since hers was destroyed. Papyrus and Frisk said their parting words before leaving Undyne.

Frisk lives in Sans and Papyrus's garage. It isn't as shabby as it used to be, it had a bed and a desk by that time. Frisk enjoyed reading, so they borrowed books from the town library. They also borrow books from Toriel, Alphys, and occasionally, Sans. The garage always had at least one book lying about.

The human and skeleton walked home from Waterfall. They did not want to take a shortcut by riding the river person's boat because Papyrus thought it was better to work out than standing on a boat. They talked about various things on the way home.

"Why do you think Sans left all of a sudden?" asked Frisk.

"Sans has to run his hotdog stand, you know," replied Papyrus.

"But he might as well inform us before vanishing like that," complained Frisk. "And isn't it a little too late for him to still have the shop up and running?"

"I assume that he has already gone home by now," said Papyrus as the pair approached Snowdin Town.

Upon reaching the front door, Papyrus fished the house keys under his scarf (he wore it as though it was a necklace) and unlocked the door. His assumption was wrong, Sans wasn't lounging on the sofa. ' _That was odd, he usually sat there, reading his joke book inside of a quantum physics book,'_ thought Papyrus. He looked for his brother in his room, but to no avail.

"Should I go to Grillby's and check if he's there?" suggested Frisk.

"All right then, human. I shall prepare dinner while you look for my dear brother," answered Papyrus.

Frisk took the shortcut to Grillby's restaurant. The cosy atmosphere of the restaurant warms everyone's heart upon entering it, filling them with determination. This was probably the reason everyone liked to visit Grillby's to relax, play cards, or simply doing nothing (apart from it being the only restaurant in town, of course).

Frisk walked inside and was greeted by the regulars. They responded to each of them politely. Greater Dog invited them to join the card game. "I'm sorry, Greater Dog. I have an important task at hand, maybe we could play next time?" replied Frisk, noticing that the stool Sans usually occupied was vacant.

Greater Dog seemed extremely disappointed to hear that. "Do come and play with us when you have the time, my dear," said Dogaressa. "Yeah, don't sweat it, there's always next time" echoed Dogamy.

Frisk walked up to Grillby. "Good evening, Mr Grillby. I was wondering if Sans came by," they asked.

"Long time no see, Frisk. I'm afraid I have not seen him in an hour, I'd say. I'm sorry I can't be of much help," answered Grillby, cleaning a mug.

"Welp, I'd like to stay, but I gotta go now. Have a nice day, Mr Grillby," said Frisk and they turned around, heading towards the front door. They didn't notice that they had slightly mimicked Sans's speech pattern. They sighed in disappointment as they returned to Papyrus.

"No such luck," said Frisk as they slumped onto the sofa, the served dinner unnoticed.

"I'm very sure he will come home in a matter of minutes, my dear friend," said Papyrus.

"…Or he is already here, but is hiding in his room,"

"That is a plausible theory, human," Papyrus rushed up the stairs. He rapped the door to Sans's room thrice. "Sans? Come out, if you're in there, dinner is served,"

"…Sans?" Papyrus knocked once more.

Frisk, concerned, tried to peek through the keyhole. It was dark inside. They wondered what could've been inside the room. "Sans," said they, "If you do not come out this instant, Papyrus's spaghetti will turn cold… and you know, he might get _upsetti_ if you do not eat his food,"

Lucky for them, Papyrus was too lost in his thoughts to hear the pun. Then a deep voice jumped both human and skeleton.

"Who's gonna get _upsetti_ , you say? Well, worry not, I am here to finish the food," declared Sans, standing at the front door. Frisk and Papyrus were still frozen to the ground, striving to recover from the shock. "Don't give me the _cold_ shoulder, you guys, is it the climate here that froze both of you? Or should I call Grillby here to thaw you out?"

"Sans! Where have you been?" exclaimed Frisk, who was the first one to recover.

"Out and about, kid," shrugged Sans, wearing his usual grin.

"We were so worried when you left Undyne's unannounced," they replied, relieve spreading through their tone.

"Welp, can you guys stop _chilling_ at the door of my room and come downstairs? The food's going to be as cold as Snowdin by now, and we don't want that, do we? Nor will they eat themselves,"

' _Wow, that's a little dark,'_ thought Frisk.

"Sans, I poured in two bottles of tomato sauce for your share," said Papyrus.

"Mmm, smells tomato-ey," said Sans.

Frisk and Papyrus descended the stairs to join Sans at the dinner table.

 _'_ _With every moment the human is getting closer and closer to Undyne and Papyrus,'_

 _'_ _They don't seem hostile this time, do they?'_

 _'_ _Really now? What if they strike the moment you let your guard down? Hasn't that happened before?'_

 _'_ _Has it? Aren't they just dreams?'_

 _'_ _Do you even remember what happened in reality and what did not?'_

 _'_ _But I feel like the ones in my dreams are just alternates. And the human gives off a different aura,'_

 _'_ _Are you still going to kill them if they killed everyone in the next reset?'_

 _'_ _I don't know…'_

 _'_ _Can you do it, Sans? Or will your compassion lead you astray?'_

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 **5 left.**


	3. Chapter 3

Sans had begun to make his way to the front door after dinner, but Frisk stopped his strides with a question. "Where do you think you're going, man?"

"Outside," Sans replied curtly.

"Don't you dare say 'My shop needs to be tended to,'" Frisk said firmly. "It is overtime, after all," Papyrus eyed them closely while the dishes were being washed.

"Come on out then, kid. Make sure you wear extra clothes, now," said Sans. "Don't want you to catch a cold," he added.

"Oh, and bro?" he glanced at Papyrus. "If we come back late after bedtime, you could just go to bed. _Rest_ assured, Frisk will be in safe hands," Papyrus gave it a thought.

"Oh, all right then, take care, Sans and Frisk."

"So, what is it that was bothering you so much, Sans?" Frisk asked once they were outside.

Sans took in a sharp intake of breath. "Come on kid. Let's get indoors," he led Frisk to the back door.

"Oh, I didn't notice that you have a back room, even after all these months living here," observed Frisk.

The door unlocked with a clack. As Sans turned the lights on, Frisk looked around with raw curiosity. The pristine tiled floor, the cabinets with blueprints on top of them… "Wow, what a clean room. And what's that?" they said, pointing at something in the end of the room, cloaked in a cloth. Sans shrugged. "There's even a blueprint here… with some symbols on it. What does that translate into?" they wondered aloud. "You're a scientist, aren't you, Sans? You're a physicist, to be precise? That explains the quantum physics books in the house, and… the design on the blueprint sure does look like a time machine. This is a lab, I see,"

"Do you recognize this?" Sans said his first sentence since entering the room.

"Recognise wha- SANS! LOOK OUT!" Frisk lunged forward and pulled Sans behind them, shielding him from- whatever that is.

"So, do you recognise it?" the question was repeated to Frisk.

"No, why do you ask?" Frisk answered, unsettled by the stillness of the creature. It seemed like a dragon's skull two times- maybe four times their size, and it was eyeballing Frisk with cool blue eyes. It was not moving, and surely did not seem hostile, even though they were sure that it would bite their head off with one clean chomp. _'Maybe it attacks in another way?'_ Frisk thought.

"I might have killed you countless times with it," Sans said, and it vanished with a poof.

"…You? Why would you do such a thing, Sans? Did you conjure it?" confronted Frisk, unnaturally calm for a person who heard something so grotesque. Then again, weren't they exposed to such profanities before?

"Yes, I conjured it. I killed you because it was under dire situations," he replied.

"I'm sure you have a good reason for that?"

"In my eyes, I do,"

"And why is that?"

Sapphire coloured tears started running down Sans's cheeks. The tears looked so beautiful and so fragile. But it was not the time to admire them. "Look, bro," Frisk held out a reassuring hand and placed it on his shoulder. Sans made no move to repel the hand. "If it troubles you to say it, you may keep it to yourself,"

Sans tried to compose himself, utterly failing to do so. He sobbed on, and Frisk gave him a warm hug and held on until the sobs stopped. "I don't know if this has to be said,"

"Well, I have seen and heard worse," said Frisk.

The reply was short and to the point.

"You… killed Papyrus."

Frisk let the words sink in. ' _Me, kill someone as sweet as Papyrus? Preposterous! That shall happen over my dead body!'_ "What could've driven me to do that?" they wondered aloud, and let go of Sans.

"Who knows?" echoed Sans.

"They must haunt you night and day, dreading over good old Papyrus's safety," said Frisk. "Look, I'm sorry, but I really could not think of doing such a thing,"

 _'_ _Oh? Perhaps you will, and you'll reset,'_ surfaced on Sans's mind. He forced it down and managed a "Usually, I just sleep them off,"

"Well, what happens after I kill Paps?" curiosity gripped Frisk.

"You went on and killed everyone in the Underground, including the plant. But a few survive, I guess,"

' _Why didn't Flowey reset?_ ' Frisk thought. "And I suppose you… survived?"

"Why would I survive? I was the main obstacle you sought to destroy," Sans replied. "No matter how many times I had you killed, you just kept coming back." _'Why am I even obliged to tell this to the kid?'_

"And then I should've reset…?" Frisk said, unsure now.

"That would be the creepiest thing you'll ever do. Go on and kill everyone, and they won't remember that after you reset, right? And they'll just live on like nothing happened, right? No one will know of your crime, is that correct?" challenged Sans.

"Are you going to kill me now, and avenge them?" asked Frisk uncontrollably. They slapped themselves mentally afterwards. Put your hand into a lion's mouth and risk having it chomped off.

"What? No, I'm gonna break my promise to Tori if I kill you right here. Besides, you're innocent. _They_ are the ones that deserve punishment."

"…" Frisk looked into Sans's eyes, wondering who _they_ would've been.

"Look, I won't be able to forgive myself if anything happens to you. Welp, kid, I've shown you too many things that you shouldn't have seen, or known. Time for bed," Sans said, ushering Frisk outside once again.

Frisk stood beside Sans as he locked the door, deep in contemplation. ' _Would this happen if I succumbed to the voice? Would_ they _do what Sans feared the most?'_

"Sans, did you do this out of obligations towards Toriel?" asked Frisk. Did they imagine that, or did a flicker of emotion flit through his eyes?

"You don't need to know that. Come on, let's go," Sans averted his gaze, not daring to look into Frisk's questioning eyes.

A figure that has been standing by the front door returned to the house after the last of the conversation died down. He sat down on the sofa and cried. "… You don't need to protect me, Sans. It is I that is supposed to protect you, for you are the most precious and vulnerable thing to me, and should be cared for very delicately,"

As Frisk and Sans approached, the pair saw Papyrus staring at his feet. "Didn't I tell you to go ahead and sleep before us?" asked Sans.

"…I thought of waiting for you, brother," Papyrus replied.

"Have you been crying, Papyrus?" Frisk asked, noticing the tone in Papyrus's voice.

"Where did you get that idea from, human? That's a funny joke. The great Papyrus never cries! You must be tired, go to bed, now," Papyrus laughed half-heartedly, and made his way upstairs.

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 **4 left.**


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning came. Sans was back at his hotdog stand. Papyrus, his role as a human capturer long diminished, idled at home. Of course, this idling is intolerable to Papyrus. The Great Papyrus will strive to find anything to occupy his hands. And so, he asked Frisk to spar with him, for he might (still) be recruited by the Royal Guard and he must retain his skills.

Frisk, having no intention to hurt anyone or risk taking damage, was reluctant to accept. "Come now, human, don't you want to know the extent of the skills Undyne had imbued in you?" Papyrus had said.

And so they stood in front of the skeleton brothers' homestead, in their respective battle stances. Frisk always starts first. They chose to ACT, and flirted with Papyrus. "Papyrus, I think you're cool, charismatic, and handsome," said Frisk.

"Nyeh heh heh! You think this is going to faze me, human? That is unlikely, my friend!" said an indifferent Papyrus. "Be prepared for my first attack!"

Blue coloured bones were thrust toward Frisk. They simply stood still until it passed. They chose to ACT once more. "B-but I like your cooking! Your spaghetti simply tastes divine!"

Papyrus coughed. "I am flattered, human, but I'm not going to spare you just yet. Did Undyne teach you all this?"

 _'_ _Damn him for being so incorrigible!'_ thought Frisk as they dodged the next attack, which was very predictable. "Come on, Paps, go out with me," they begged, batting their eyes for effect.

"We _are_ outside, human!" stated Papyrus as he readied his next attack.

"I mean for us to go on a date!" Patience was running short on Frisk.

"Um, why is that? I am under the impression that we are not in a relationship, and I told you I do not feel that way towards you," said Papyrus.

"Papyrus, I beg of you! Give me another chance!" Frisk looked as though they were driven to tears. ' _That'll be surprising if he rejected,'_ they smirked inwardly.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry, human! Please, cease your crying. Of course I'll go on a date with you!" Papyrus looked helpless.

"Y-you will?" Frisk put on a hurt tone.

"I swear upon my name," said the skeleton.

 _'_ _Nailed it.'_ Frisk was smug. They walked into the house, and Papyrus set Frisk onto the sofa. "Would you mind sitting here for a moment? I have to get decent," said Papyrus. He sped upstairs after Frisk's approval.

Frisk was reclining on the sofa when a voice roused them. "Papyrus sure is a great guy, isn't he?" a familiar voice said.

"…Flowey? What are you doing here?" Frisk sat up, surprised.

"Ugh, what a way to greet an old friend," Flowey pouted. By that time, Frisk noticed something amiss. Flowey's gaze somehow looked empty, and the bored look he always wore was no more. _'Wait, are his eyes red?'_ Frisk thought.

"Are you fine, Flowey?" they asked, concerned.

"This doesn't matter! Anyways I'm here to tell you that something fun is going to happen soon, e," Flowey's face contorted into a grotesque expression, similar to the face he had when you decide to kill him after you defeat Omega Flowey. He then vanished back into the ground.

"What do you mean, Flo- and he's gone," Frisk sighed, contemplating what he could've meant by 'something fun'. ' _Was he possessed?'_ they thought.

Just then, Papyrus walked out of his room. Frisk put their thoughts aside for the moment and took in his garments. No, he wasn't wearing a shirt that screamed 'COOL DUDE', nor was he wearing a cap. Instead, Papyrus was adorned with a top hat and a bow tie. Frisk was agape with wonder.

"Um, Frisk? Staring at me like that is going to make me terribly bashful. I shall prepare the meal now," said Papyrus and he produced a tablecloth from a cabinet in the kitchen, spreading it over the dining table. He then heated the leftover spaghetti from last night and set it on said table. Finding a candlestick, he stuck candles on it and set them on the table.

"Here," Frisk offered a matchbox to Papyrus. He graciously accepted it and lit the candles. "You know what, Papyrus? I can't believe you'll wear this. This is certainly an interesting surprise," said Frisk as they took a seat at the dining table.

"It's all thanks to Dogamy and Dogaressa," he replied, grateful to have asked the Royal Guard lovebirds (lovedogs?) beforehand.

They dined in silence, enjoying each other's company. As they finished the pasta, they began discussing about the surface over some juice. Papyrus was still amazed by his first sunset, and he envied Frisk for getting to see it every morning before they fell into the Underground. "Human? I'm sorry to say this, but I still don't feel anything other than platonic feelings to you,"

"I guess some feelings can't be forced," Frisk sighed.

"But I can't say I had a bad time. It's fun hanging out like this sometimes,"

Frisk nodded. "I don't see why it's not fun either,"

"I know you mean well, human, but your burning passion could be given to someone who appreciates it," Papyrus suggested.

"Who, Grillby?"

"You know how much I dislike puns, don't you?" Papyrus pretended to be frustrated.

"You must enjoy it secretly," Frisk teased.

"Say, human, why didn't you return home after the Barrier was broken?" Papyrus suddenly asked.

"Well, I happened to realize that a day in the underground equals to a year on the surface, and… I took a week venturing in the Underground before I reached Asgore, and by the time we breached the Barrier and arrived at the surface, I realized that everything has changed. The human world evolves rapidly, you know. A city replaced the town I was living in, and my home was probably destroyed in the process, because I never found it. I hope my family still is out there somewhere, living happily… without me," Frisk had withheld this from them ever since Toriel asked them if they wanted to live with her. They had said yes, but Toriel insisted to let them go home. No one ever thought about this, nor did Frisk want their friends to be burdened by this information.

"I'm sorry, human," said Papyrus, realizing that he was discussing sensitive matters with Frisk. "But don't you want to look for them, even after all these years?"

"But don't you see? The reason of me running off to Mt. Ebott was because I was running away from them, and I doubt they'll ever miss me," Frisk stated.

"Is that why Sans likes you so much?" Papyrus mused. No, he didn't want to ask what had happened before Frisk ran away. ' _We are quite relatable, after all,'_ he thought, and smiled.

"Wait, what did you say?" Frisk pulled themselves back from their sea of introspections.

"I suppose I should tell you the truth, human. You know, Sans and I don't just settle here like we belonged. We were also from a dark past. I noticed that Sans thinks you relatable, and he stopped having nightmares when you came. He was having sleepless nights about a week before you came, often speaking about a human. I assume he saw something in you that he trusted and calmed down from his throes at night. And now, I finally found out what he saw, and the reason of him starting to trust once more," explained Papyrus.

' _In my sadness when I escaped, I had this atrocious scheme of killing everyone when I fell into this world. What could've inspired me to do so? Was I possessed, like Flowey just now? I heard someone say that if you are too jealous or angry or sad, entities can possess you easily. Sans must have foresaw this and that's where his nightmares stem from, which means that he's lucky I didn't succumb to the thought. Papyrus doesn't need to know this, I suppose.'_ Frisk thought.

Frisk must have stayed silent for long, because Papyrus said, "Frisk? What's wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing at all. Do go on," Frisk said.

"I was thinking that since the both of you were better suited to each other, instead of me, who doesn't even feel that way about you. Don't get me wrong, but it would've been perfect if you were infatuated with him rather than me," said Papyrus.

"What do you mean?" asked Frisk. And then, realization struck them.

"You should spend more time with Sans, then you'll understand in due time."

Frisk stayed silent for a few moments, and nodded sagely.

"I'll try, Papyrus. Thank you for telling me this."

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 **3 left.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the late update! I wasn't able to use the computer for a while, so yeah, enjoy a slightly longer chapter!**

* * *

"Hey Sans, wanna go to Grillby's?"

A pause that would've been awkward if it were stretched any longer.

"Kid, that's my line."

"I know. So do you want to go there or not?"

Sans closed his quantum-physics-book-in-a-joke-book-in-another-quantum-physics-book. "Come on, then. Follow close. I discovered a new shortcut."

Moments later, they were sitting on their usual stool at Grillby's restaurant.

"So why'd you invite me here, kid?" asked Sans after they placed their order.

It had been a while since the date with Papyrus. "Well, you've been acting sorta weird since the day you were at Undyne's house, so I thought we could talk about it," answered Frisk.

"Welp, what do you propose we do?"

"It's not like I should tell Papyrus you can see alternate endings, can I?"

"So you're afraid that he's unable to stomach the fact? That's very thoughtful of you," said Sans flatly.

"Come on, Sans! I just want to help," said Frisk, exasperated.

The day when Papyrus confided about Sans was the moment Frisk starts to learn about the laid back skeleton's true colours. All these days, they merely thought him as this cool character who likes to make puns and hang out at Toriel's. They didn't even anticipate that Sans was serious at times and happens to excel in science, particularly in physics. He also visited Grillby less back then, and a few visits at the bartender's all by themselves was enough for them to learn that ketchup was as potent as vodka to skeletons that lived in the Underground. In other words, Sans started to drink a lot just before Frisk's arrival, trying to escape the grim reality of the Genocide, if it were to occur at all. No wonder Grillby always shot them an apologetic look whenever he gave Sans a bottle of ketchup. Frisk sometimes wondered how Grillby knew that humans can consume ketchup just fine.

According to Papyrus, Sans's nightmares about the Genocide mostly revolves around Papyrus's death. One night, Papyrus heard his brother scream. He rushed to his door to find it locked with some sort of magic, for he could not even turn the key when it is inserted into the keyhole. All he could do was to listen to Sans's cries of agony resonating within, unable to help in any way.

* * *

 _"…_ _Sans? Unlock the door!" Papyrus yelled from the outside of Sans's room. He noticed a blue light seeping through the gap of the door._

 _"_ _I'm so sorry, Papyrus! I had one role, and I managed to screw it up!" Sans screamed, but it doesn't seem to be directed toward Papyrus._

 _"_ _I beg of you, Sans! Open the door right now!" Papyrus said, helpless._

 _"_ _Papyrus… Why were you being so naïve? Didn't I tell you to stay away from the human? Now, what did they reward you with? Your death!" wailed Sans._

 _"_ _But is it not my job to capture a human for Undyne?" mused Papyrus._

 _"_ _I shall wait for you before you reach Asgore's throne room and I swear I'll tear you apart!"_

 _"_ _Sans, awaken from your nightmare! I'm right here! Your brother is still alive!" Papyrus yelled, with hopes for Sans to hear him._

 _Sure enough, no more of his sleep talking can be heard, and the blue light seemed to dissipate. Papyrus sighed, eyes full of tears, murmuring "I'm sorry I wasn't there to share your pain," as he returned to his room._

* * *

A few days later, Sans seemed to succumb to his nightmares and started making puns, and he even started to become lazy. I just seemed like he'd given up right before the so-called apocalypse. He used to be hard-working, Papyrus had said. But now, he just sleeps through everything and plastered a smile on his face at all times. _A smile that has no emotions anymore._ What was he thinking, wasting his life like that? ' _And for Papyrus to withhold this from me all these months! I could've talked Sans out of this!'_ Frisk thought, a part of them bubbled with anger. Sans sure adapted to his fears in a _unique_ way, by masking it with a smile and some jokes. Even Frisk fell for it. But all that talk sparks determination in them to revert Sans into his old self.

"I don't think I need help, kid. I'm fine as it is," replied Sans.

"Sans, how about you tell me about quantum physics?" prompted Frisk.

"That's a classic. You think you could keep up?"

"Yeah."

And so, Sans started explaining the basics of quantum physics. Soon he was engrossed in it, and the usage of puns decreased to zero. Frisk smiled as Sans explained every single detail like a teacher. ' _You're reverting to your old self, I presume,'_ they thought. He didn't even notice Grillby serving their meals. They motioned for the bartender to hold off on ketchup. He nodded in understanding and tended to the other customers who had just entered.

"I didn't even know that you have such interest in science, but isn't it a little too advanced for you, kid?" Sans said after the discussion.

"Science does not have a boundary on age, right?" Frisk answered. "By the way, you didn't hold back, did you?"

"Yeah, there's a hole in my back," he laughed.

"I take that as a 'yes', then," they replied.

"Let's dig in, kid. I didn't even notice the food's here. Grillbz, I want some ketchup,"

"Ah, I think you should stop consuming such quantities of ketchup," advised Frisk. Grillby gave Frisk the impression of a grin.

"Huh. So you realized, then," Sans chuckled. "Very well, I'll not have any this time."

They finished their meal, and then Frisk folded the wrapper into a heart-shaped origami. "Sans," they said.

"Yeah, kid?"

"How'd it feel like when you explained quantum physics?"

"You know, I just kinda had this nostalgic feeling. I used to do a lot of that back then,"

"Why did you stop?"

"I can't seem to find a way to stop your time-travelling thing,"

Frisk started. "Why is that?" they asked calmly.

"Because I wanted to prevent you from resetting and kill everyone afterwards," Sans looked away from Frisk.

"Well, did you test this hypothesis?"

"What hypothesis?" Still looking away, Sans had his curiosity piqued.

"You could try asking me to never reset," suggested Frisk, "not that I'll ever want to reset, anyways. You'll lose memories of what we've done during my stay here, and something could've gone wrong…"

"Would anything go wrong for you?" asked Sans, snorting.

"Well, there is this voice that told me to reset and try killing everyone in the next run, you see. Who knows, he or she might possess me and so, what you feared the most will happen," Frisk explained.

Sans's eyes widened. "So some of the dreams turned could've been true after all…" he murmured.

"That's why I will never reset, and I want all of you to retain your memories, and be happy," Frisk smiled widely. "I mean, we broke the Barrier, right? That is a legendary achievement to you guys, isn't it?" _'But seriously, though, will this world go on when I die, and I'll just get reset into another parallel world, or will this world get erased?'_ Frisk thought, but decided not to voice it out.

"Thank you so much, Frisk," Sans said with emotion.

"Hey, is it emotion I hear in your tone?" Frisk noticed.

"Why, kid, that's a relief from all this ordeal, and I guess I don't really want to be the old me anymore. I could help Alphys out if she wants."

"That's great! With my word, Sans, I will try to resist the voice if they insist," declared Frisk, "this body is mine after all. Thank you for 'saving' me from Undyne, anyway. So, no more secrets?"

"No more secrets," promised Sans, "but I'm sure you haven't been into my room yet, so here you go, this is my room key," he held his hand out.

"Your hand's empty," said Frisk.

"Have you forgotten that you've already accepted my key?"

Instinctively, Frisk checked their phone. Sure enough, there was an addition to the key ring. They laughed. "Still on with these jokes?"

"Well, I'm _physically_ still into science. Like teleporting and stuff. Hey, I've been meaning to ask, what's that in your hands?" Sans noticed the origami.

"Oh, this? I meant to give it to you, so here you go," Frisk held the heart out.

"That'd suck if I don't give you anything in return, right?" Sans closed his eyes as he accepted the origami. He closed his unoccupied palm, and it glowed blue. Frisk watched in wonder as Sans opened his hand to reveal a sharp bone with an intricate rose design carved on the hilt.

Frisk scrutinized it with disgust. "That's not fantastic at all,"

"So, you don't like it?" Sans asked with a sad tone.

"No, it's sans-tastic!" Frisk winked. "Got you this time, didn't I? But are they your bones?"

"Why would I use my own bones? I'm not a skullhead, you know. Well, I literally am one, but yeah," Sans replied.

"Is it sharp?" Frisk examined the sharp end.

"Why don't you test it out? Nah, I take it back. Use it to protect yourself."

"That's gonna be one of the best gifts I've ever received!"

"So, if you accept it, we will be bros no matter where time or tide takes us. Agreed?"

"Of course we'll be bros forever! But why the rose design, though?" Frisk took the bone.

"I dunno. Let's go out for a walk, kid. Grillbz, put this on my tab, thanks," Sans replied as he jumped off the stool.

Before Frisk left, they snuck some gold coins onto Grillby's hand, shooting him a wink. Grillby took the hint, and kept quiet. Sans and Frisk conversed as they walked towards the riverbank up north, where the fishing rod resides. They sat by the bank, Sans talking about one of his adventures back in the days.

"…And then the bartender said, ' _How can a squirt like you enter this place? Didn't I tell you to stay away? I don't want to have you ruin my bar again_ ,' and I said, _'Hey, I'm only here to have a good time, and have my dinner_ ,' and at one point he said, ' _You're being overbearing_ ,'" Sans reminisced, "guess what I replied,"

"What is it?" Frisk's mind cannot fathom what Sans would say since he's always unpredictable.

"I said, ' _How am I overbearing? Am I not over-beering?"_

"So, you had beer that night," concluded Frisk.

"Nope. He kicked me out right afterwards."

They laughed in tandem, but they failed to notice someone approaching. It certainly wasn't one of the citizens of Snowdin. They held a knife in one hand, and lunged towards Frisk.

Sans noticed it in the nick of time and pressed the assailant down using additional gravity. "Welp, you could've planned better on your choice of attack," he commented. "Kid, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I guess. What just happened?" Frisk looked behind them.

A furry creature wearing a striped yellow-and–green sweater greeted Frisk's eyes. A red scarf hugged his neck, equally scarlet as his eyes.

"Asriel-" "What have you done to my brother?" Frisk and Sans said at the same time.

' _Wasn't Papyrus at Undyne's? What could've happened?'_ tears began to roll down their cheeks. "Asriel, what did you do?"

"Howdy, smiley trashbag and Frisk, did you miss me?" hissed Asriel, brandishing his knife. ' _No, it should've been_ "hissed Chara",' corrected Frisk. **You don't tell me what to do, Frisk!** _'_ _But that's Chara's shirt! Notice that there's only one stripe? They just look like Asriel!'_ argued Frisk. **You know what? You win this round.**

"I beg your pardon. What did you do to Papyrus and Asriel, Chara?" Frisk repeated.

"Very clever. I am Chara, the demon that comes when people call its name," Chara cackled.

"Where is Asriel?" Frisk decided on a different approach.

"Already dead years ago," Chara looked bored.

"So were you,"

"Then why am I still here?" It was a good question.

Sans deployed his fully charged Gaster Blasters. Chara dodged it easily. "That was so weak, even a Whimsun can take on you," provoked Chara.

"Can you guys just stop and talk it out?" pleaded Frisk.

"Well, I'll let my baby here do the talking," Chara's scarlet eyes glimmered as they looked at the knife endearingly.

"You know what, kid? Just run and leave the rest to me," said Sans as he directed a flurry of bones to attack Chara from below. Chara skipped to the side.

"No! I will try my best to make sure you guys stop fighting!" retorted Frisk. Somewhere deep inside them, they knew that no one will stop until the other drops dead. As if Chara shared the same thoughts, some thick vines began to grow malignantly, blocking the only way out. ' _Thanks, Asriel,'_ Chara whispered. Sans tried to burn the conjured vines down with his Gaster Blaster. However, nothing happened.

Chara became hysteric with mocking laughter. "Come on, you dunce. Do you really think this string of weak light will burn it down?"

* * *

The battle continues. A tumult of townsfolk began to gather on the other side, their interest aroused by the sound of battle and, of course, the spectacular view of some unknown plant blocking their way to the river. Grillby too, had been interested to see what caused panic among the people. He made his way to the front, holding out a hand to touch the vines.

They melted.

* * *

Sans had this thought hovering in his mind, and decided to have it proven. "Kid?"

"Yes, Sans?" Frisk, holding the bone to deflect Chara's blows, responded.

"Did the other kid happen to reset?"

"I don't know, Sans. Assuming that I lose memories too, I can't really be sure," implied Frisk.

"How about _you_ reset to your last save?"

"It's just that… I haven't saved since the day we left the Underground… and it was a long time ago, isn't it?" explained Frisk, "And anyways, Chara will challenge us no matter what, won't they? So why bother running anyway? I'd rather you keep your memories than ripping them away,"

Chara, who did not really care about nostalgia, darted forward and stabbed Frisk in the abdomen before Sans even opened his mouth to deliver a reply. Frisk flinched, eyes widening with shock as they dropped to the snowy ground, painting the snow red. Chara laughed. "Who cares about sappy stuff like that? Looks like I win this round, _Frisk,"_

"H-how… could… y-you do this? Where is… your… dignity, Chara…?" Frisk managed to produce these with great difficulty. They clutched the bone tightly as Sans ran to their side and held them in his arms. "Frisk! No, _no, no, no, no, no…_ Don't you dare die on me!" Sapphire tears pricked his eye sockets. ' _I was damn careless again,'_

"Sans, I don't... want to see you... crying... to be... the last thing... I see," Frisk closed their eyes, reaching a hand out to touch his face. Their eyes opened once more, and smiled. Then, Frisk looked to the side, and asked, "Papyrus, do… you… want anything?"

"Don't worry, bone heap, you'll be next," Chara chimed as they pulled the knife out of Frisk, and slashed it at Sans. Frisk groaned as the essence of life seeped out of their eyes.

Sans, Frisk still in his arms, dodged the attack and whispered, "Take care of Paps, will 'ya?" Some of his tears produced sapphire-coloured splotches on Frisk's shirt. It didn't stain the piece of clothing, and vanished. Was Sans hallucinating, or did Frisk seem to have winked at him?

He put their body down and hoped that nothing will happen to the Frisk and Papyrus in the next reset. Eh, this world would just get erased anyway.

"Now, Chara, _you're gonna have a bad time,"_ Sans dried his tears as his left eye flashed cyan and yellow, brighter than ever.

* * *

 **Get Shyamalan'd.**

 **Just a random thought: would Chara eat baking chocolate if they were really desperate for it?**

 **2 left.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I have been lazy. Sorry for the late update!**

* * *

Chara scoffed. "Me? Having a bad time? Clear your mind, trashbag. You're the one that's going to have a bad time."

Suddenly, Chara's eyes widened. "What did I do again?"

"Playing truant won't help you now, kid," warned Sans.

"What... have... I... done...?" the red hue left their eyes, slowly turning into brown. "Chara, what... have... you... DONE!?" He looked at his hand and was shocked at the sight of red dripping on the tip of a knife he was holding for some reason. He dropped it, dread filling in rapidly. He searched wildly for the source of the blood. Frisk lying on the snow with a large patch of red staining their shirt finally caught his attention.

"...Frisk?" he said as he made his way over.

A strong gravitational pull tried to hold him back.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Sans as he strengthened his magic.

Not noticing any word Sans said, he tried to get near Frisk. With much effort, he was by their side.

"Frisk, what did they do to you?" he asked gently, reaching his hand out to hold Frisk's cold hand.

The pull's strength increased, but he strove to fight it. "I'm so sorry, Frisk. I should've stopped them from getting into me. I wanted to stop them, you have to believe me! Now, it's too late for that," tears began to stain Asriel's face.

 _'Oh? Can you now, furball? I let you slip this time so if you have any last words, you better tell that pile of bones over there. Wait, he's gonna be dead alongside you!'_ A voice piped up within Asriel _._

"No, Chara, this isn't the right way. That being said, I will try to stop you from taking more SOULs!" retorted Asriel.

 _'Hm? Was it not you that mercilessly cut the innocent SOULs down? Your hands are stained with their ashes, not mine,'_

"You're the one who's manipulating me! It's not like I can do anything about it. That's different!" screamed Asriel.

Sans noticed that the prince's eyes were turning red once again. "I will kill you... I will kill you... I will kill you... I WILL KILL YOU!" Eyes flashing scarlet, Asriel picked the knife up and lunged towards Sans.

 _'Whatever, time's up, furball. Goodbye forever, Asriel Dreemurr,'_ were the last words Asriel heard before plunging into darkness.

 _'I'm so sorry, Frisk, I really tried to stop Chara from getting the knife,'_

Sans blocked the knife. Chara giggled. "Sorry for the slip up, skeleton. I was carried away for a bit. Now, let's have some real fun!"

 _'Well, now the prince is being manifested by the kid that died long ago, so what should I do?'_ Sans calculated as he charged his blasters and deployed them.

"Come to think of it, your charge beams feel like the sun in wintertime. That's how weak it is," commented Chara as they avoided the blast.

Chara was caught ablaze all of a sudden. Sans was surprised that he wasn't caught in the inferno, despite being in close quarters with Chara. Chara, meanwhile, shrieked in agony and shock. The fire seemed to be coming from an inacessible place. Grillby walked up before them, the mass of charred vines behind him.

Sans gave him a thumbs-up and addressed the gathered townsfolk. "There's nothing interesting over here, so just go home before more people get hurt, 'kay?" The crowd noticed Frisk lying on the snow and gasped. They scattered instantly.

Sans chuckled. "Feeling a bit _charred_ , Chara?"

"Shut up, you infernal being," snapped Chara as the got on their feet.

"Are you referring to me or... Grillbz over here?" Sans suppressed his urge to laugh.

Chara groaned. _'This knife won't cut that fire over there,'_ they thought. They then conjured a multicoloured sword and slashed at the pair. Grillby and Sans dodged it easily. An idea struck Sans. He whispered it to Grillby, who only nodded in response. The plan needed a Gaster Blaster and a special ingredient to be set in motion.

Once it has been conjured again, Sans fired it at Chara and Grillby set the blast aflame. Chara screamed in pain. They dropped onto the snow, hoping that it would soothe the burn. No, it didn't help.

The river rippled and a boat was approaching. "Tra la la, it seems like a fight has taken place here," a hooded figure said. The boat stopped, and they hopped off. They then spotted Frisk, still dead.

"What a shame. I liked them," they said. Sans weighed the familliar voice.

"And you are...?"

"I'm the riverman, or am I the riverwoman?" the hooded figure said enigmatically. "Anyway, the child over there may surprise you," they pointed a skeletal finger towards Frisk. "You may be wondering why I'm here. Very well, I shall tell you. I am here to collect the SOUL possessing Asriel."

"H... ow... do you... even... kn... ow... about... this..." Chara said with much difficulty.

"I'm more than just a river person, I guess. Now, your SOUL is very interesting. You can possess anyone and have them murder people. I want to discover the DETERMINATION drivng you to do this," the river person explained.

Sans figured out the owner of the voice. "...Master?"

"Sans, I'm afraid you're mistaken. I am not your master," the river person proceeded to help Chara up and put them into the boat.

A small voice rasped. "Please... don't... take Chara away..."

It seemed to come from where Frisk was. Everyone looked at where it came from. A hand outstretched, Frisk tried to get up.

"Kid! You're fine!" Fresh tears brimmed Sans's eyes. Grillby placed a warm hand on his shoulder to console him. "What about the blood...?"

"Nothing beats a good old bag of ketchup under my shirt to provide protection from getting impaled by a knife! Thanks for the ketchup, Mr. Grillby," said Frisk as they removed the bag of ketchup from under their shirt.

"You! You knew?" Sans looked at the bartender.

"They asked for a bag of ketchup, but I did not know what for. I did not want to be privy, so I let them be," Grillby answered nonchalantly.

"YOU SHOULD'VE BEEN DEAD!" screamed Chara while they were being restrained on the boat.

"So how'd 'ya figure this out? That kid killing you and stuff, I mean," questioned Sans.

"Easy. The riverperson here is a very good advice giver. They told me that I might die from a knife wound, and so here I am, using a bag of ketchup under my shirt," Frisk explained. They didn't add the part that they thought it'll be a very funny joke when the bag was punctured. All this time, Papyrus thought he'd fattened Frisk and was proud of himself. ' _Oh, Papyrus...'_

"Who exactly are you?" Sans addressed the riverperson.

"I'm the riverperson."

"Well, you know what? They could be you, me, Mr. Grillby, or even G... you get the picture, right?" Frisk explained.

"I do hope that this will provide enlightenment enough." The riverperson removed their cowl. Their face was white, with a distorted and cracked face.

"I knew it. It was you after all, Master," Sans proclaimed triumphantly. But then their face morphed into Frisk's and subsequently, Sans's and Grillby's. Their face materialized into Papyrus's before they replaced the cowl.

"You said you're a reflection of sorts towards the people who are alive... and you can't become someone who's dead, so... does that mean... Papyrus is alive?" questioned Frisk.

"Oh, that I do not know. Time itself will tell you."

"May I speak to Chara, then?"

"Yes, you may. But do not take up much time, though,"

Frisk nodded and made their way towards Chara, who was still restrained on the boat. Papyrus's scarf removed itself from Chara's neck and floated onto Sans's open hands through the riverperson's telekinesis. "I do believe this belongs to you for the moment," they said.

"Now, Chara, where might Asriel be?" asked Frisk gently, kneeling beside the child with the green-and-yellow shirt.

"How should I know? I don't care anyway!" Chara roared.

"How could you say that, when he's risked his life just to get you back to the surface despite the impending danger? He even died for you!"

"He's an idiot, that's what! A naïve and useless kid!" spat Chara.

"Don't you even have a spark of compassion towards Asgore and Toriel, who raised you despite you being human? They treated you as an equal, didn't love you less than they love Asriel. So why, why did you become so heartless?"

"What does it even have to do with the old goats, now? To hell with them!"

"It's because of a stupid prank that you died, and Asriel, who only wanted you to be happy, willingly died for you! Because of you, Asgore and Toriel lost the children they cherish the most, and stopped aging!" justified Frisk.

"What do you want, Frisk?" Chara hissed as they struggled against their restraints.

"I just want to help you, Chara," Frisk offered a small smile.

"I don't need your help!" they struggled harder.

Frisk held Chara's shoulders and had them sit up. They then threw their arms around Chara. Shocked by the sudden contact, they kept squirming as though they were coiled by a snake. Asriel's body was cold instead of warm, Frisk noticed.

"Why are you doing this to me?" demanded Chara. They began to produce tears. "What do you get after this?"

"I get to free you, Chara. Everyone has a chance to be loved, and so did you. Nobody deserves to be hated. They should've been given a chance to repent, isn't that right? Now, I am giving you a chance to be loved again. Do you accept?" Frisk said softly.

"Do you know what I want to do if I were free?" Chara's tone became menacing.

"You'll probably stab me again and make sure I die. You would remove my ability to RESET, and you could merge my SOUL with yours, if you want to. If so, my final wish is to have you become a better person afterwards, one who loves and is loved," suggested Frisk, calm resonating with every word.

Unable to understand anything, from why Frisk was doing so to why they were crying, Chara shrieked in frustration. The sound was so deafening that shock waves emanated on the calm waters. Frisk, despite being in such a close proximity with Chara, seemed to be unfazed. They hushed Chara gently.

"I don't understand. I don't understand! Why are you so calm even when you know that you'll die?" said Chara.

"Papyrus believes that everyone can change. I believe in that too- I know you can change if you tried, because I trust you,"

Chara was silent. Frisk stopped hugging them, and held their arms.

"Chara... I think it's time for you to stop. You'll cause everyone and yourself misery, and nothing else. Let go of Asriel, and head to the afterworld. I'm sure you know how to do it. Your life has ended, and nothing here is left for you. So, please, Chara, be a good person in the next world. Love and be loved," said Frisk.

Chara raised their eyes to meet Frisk's, unsure scarlet eyes meeting determined obsidian eyes. Frisk smiled and nodded.

The knife in their hand dropped to the wooden surface of the boat. They hugged Frisk. Frisk inhaled sharply, awaiting the impending stab.

But it never came.

"What's this... light feeling in my heart?" whispered Chara.

"Your burden is lifted," the river person finally said.

"It's so warm and cozy... It's been so long since I've felt this way," Chara closed their eyes and smiled out of pure happiness. Frisk noticed that warmth has returned to Asriel.

Chara looked at Frisk one last time. Then, still smiling, the red hue left Asriel's eyes, and Asriel slumped towards Frisk. A SOUL was floating around the pair, and Frisk wasn't surprised to see it black. Light now pierced through the gloomy SOUL, and it glowed ever so brightly.

"Now, Chara, let me guide you to where you should be," the riverperson said as Frisk dragged Asriel out of the boat.

"Wait! Chara, this belongs to you," Frisk removed the locket from their inventory.

The riverperson looked at the SOUL, and nodded after a pause. "Chara says that it is already where it should be,"

They then mounted the boat, contained the light-filled heart into a glass flask, and left. Frisk grinned and put on the locket, a final memento from Chara.

"You're pretty good," commented Sans.

"You have done well, Frisk," said Grillby. "I do believe we deserve a rest after this battle. Let us return to the restaurant."

* * *

Sans dragged an unconscious Asriel along with his magic. As Frisk passed by where the vines used to be, they noticed something golden brown on the snow. They gathered it with their hands and inspected it.

"Sans, is this the fried snow you told me about?" asked Frisk.

"What?"

"Look here," they held their hands out.

"Yup, it's fried snow,"

"So... Mr. Grillby's flame can fry snow without melting them? Where does the oil come from? That's so awesome!" exclaimed Frisk. _'That means... the last time Grillby used his fire magic was... around the end of the war?'_ they thought. _'The past doesn't really matter, does it? The present and future are the ones that matter.'_

* * *

hhsixiahoca

Frisk and Sans were having Grillby's parfait when Asriel came to.

"How do you feel, Asriel?" asked Frisk.

"Ugh.. Where am I? Why is it so warm here? Wait... I can feel warmth?" a woozy Asriel mumbled.

"That means you're fine!" Frisk beamed.

Asriel put his hands into his pockets and smiled bashfully. _'How am I still alive?'_

He then realized something was in his pocket. He pulled it out, and it was a folded piece of paper.

"What's this?" Asriel looked at the paper.

"It's probably a note from Chara," guessed Frisk.

"Are you ready?" asked Sans.

"To do what?" Asriel and Frisk asked at the same time.

"To read... deez notes," answered Sans. "That's _write,_ go on and read it,"

Grillby came through the fire exit, a parfait at hand, as Frisk opened the note. The note was blank.

"What?" sighed Asriel.

"Seems like it's written in _blank and white,_ " said Sans.

"Ah, Mr. Grillby. Just in time," Frisk looked at the fire entity.

Grillby handed the parfait to Asriel, who thanked him in return. Asriel couldn't wait to feel what sweetness was like again. "How do you require my assistance?" Grillby asked.

"Can you hold out your hand?" requested Frisk.

Grillby did as he was told, and Frisk held the note over his hand. Words began to materialize.

 _Chara is already at a better place when you are reading this, I assume._

 _They traded their SOUL so that Asriel can live his life._

 _My apologies, I may not be able to offer you transport for the next few days._

"Just as I guessed. You didn't turn into dust because Chara left a bit of their DETERMINATION in you, Asriel," said Frisk.

"Chara..." Asriel looked down.

"Perhaps that's their way of repaying you. It's getting late now, and you all should go home," announced Grillby.

"Yeah, do you want to stay with us tonight, Asriel? We'll bring you to your parents tomorrow," offered Frisk.

"Sure," answered Asriel, and he left the restaurant with Frisk and Sans after saying goodbye to Grillby.

* * *

 **1 left.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Here is the final instalment of the story.**

* * *

Sans sent Asriel to the RUINS so that he would be reunited with his mother. The skeleton has not seen Toriel in a while.

Frisk decided to go home to unwind after all the ordeal. At least they'd saved Chara from the darkness that engulfed them. Frisk lounged on the sofa as the door burst open.

"Little punk! You're fine, thank goodness," said Undyne, relieved.

"We caught wind of what had just happened. I see that no harm was inflicted upon you, it would've ruined my image as the caretaker of humans," said Papyrus.

Frisk stared at Papyrus, electrified. _'He was never hurt, after all!'_

"Did you notice anything new on my face? I'm flattered, really, that you're staring at me like that. By the way, have you seen my scarf? I seem to have misplaced it,"

"Chara said that you died, and Sans was so sad. Anyways, it's good to see that you're alive, that's a relief," said Frisk after a pause to collect themselves. "Your scarf is with Sans, for safekeeping, I guess,"

Undyne noticed the ketchup stain on Frisk's abdomen. "Whoa, who had the nerve to stab you when I'm not watching?"

"Oh no, Undyne, it's just ketchup. I accidentally punctured a bag of it," said Frisk.

"I see. Hey, I can clean it for you if you want to. Just give me your shirt," replied Undyne.

Frisk entered Sans's room to borrow his jacket. They slipped it on, handing Undyne the soiled shirt, thanking her. As Undyne cleaned Frisk's shirt, she asked her about what had actually happened near the town. Frisk decided to explain everything, leaving out the part where they used a bag of ketchup to protect themselves, because Undyne would've thought that it was impractical and very stupid to do so, and that would have Frisk be forced to listen to her famous speeches. No one but Papyrus can endure that.

"So the Prince has decided to come back after all these days, huh," concluded Undyne as she managed to clean out most of the stain, hanging it up to be aired dry.

"Yeah, we will go to the castle tomorrow. Asgore hasn't seen his son yet," said Frisk. "Because Sans is taking him to the RUINS,"

"Well, I haven't seen the old man in days. I'll join in on the trip, is that alright?"

Frisk accepted.

"Let us send Undyne back home. I want to use her kitchen to prepare dinner, as we have run out of resources," announced Papyrus. "Sans would have dinner at Toriel's, I assume. But I'll leave him a note anyways, to let him know of our whereabouts,"

"Sure. Let's go," agreed Undyne. Frisk nodded.

* * *

Papyrus began to cook dinner as Undyne and Frisk waited, having arrived at the knight's house a few moments earlier.

"Say, punk, didn't Sans interrupt our duel the other day? Let us have our rematch while we wait for Papyrus," suggested Undyne.

"Sure. Let me grab the spears. You could wait outside at the moment," answered Frisk.

The rhythmic clang of the training spears and the serene _drip-drip_ sound in Waterfall melded together into a beautiful melody, filling Napstablook with inspiration. In the distance, Shyren began to sing as well.

Fish and human continued to trade blows until the smell of spaghetti wafted to their noses. That reminded them of their hunger, and they ended the training for the day, walking into Undyne's house to clap eyes upon Papyrus's masterpiece. It was spaghetti with carbonara sauce.

"That was a good fight, Frisk, you've improved a lot under my tutelage," said Undyne.

"Thanks, Undyne, though your defences still seem impenetrable," replied Frisk.

They took a seat on the chair around the mahogany table that Undyne bought from Gerson to replace her destroyed dining table. Thanking Papyrus, they all began to dig in. Undyne commented that she should teach Papyrus more recipes since it's unhealthy for Frisk to eat only pasta for the rest of their days. She'd read about that on the surface. The recipe books humans wrote had some pretty good dishes. She would like to teach Papyrus how to make them.

Of course, the Great Papyrus will never turn his back on the chance to learn new knowledge. It will be enriching for him, he said. They finished the food.

"The spaghetti's improved. Not bad, Papyrus. You've improved a lot," praised Undyne.

"It is all thanks to Mettaton's cooking shows," Papyrus puffed his chest up.

"I don't remember him doing an episode about spaghetti, Papyrus, you must be mistaken," said Undyne, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'd say what Undyne said, my friend, I haven't seen a spaghetti episode from Mettaton," added Frisk.

"Mark my words, I'm going to make him do one episode about spaghetti," Papyrus stated. "I was just joking, comrades. It's all the efforts of an extremely talented teacher and knight who has offered help to a distressed Great Papyrus. So I thank you, Undyne the Undying," he said solemnly.

"Oh, Papyrus, you're just making me blush, you know," Undyne responded.

* * *

It was already 9 o' clock at night. Papyrus and Frisk said their parting words before leaving Undyne, who said that she would come over to their house the next day before they leave for Asgore's castle. The skeleton and the human went home, discussing about the happenings on the surface. Without knowing when, they had arrived at their destination. They wished each other a good night and went to bed.

The next morning, Frisk rose and went to the next door. Undyne was already there, Sans was dozing off on the sofa, his favourite book on his lap. He seemed to be peaceful at last, knowing that his brother hadn't died. They should've stayed up last night to see his reaction upon seeing Papyrus. It had to be priceless, they knew.

"Did you have a good night, punk?" greeted Undyne.

"Yep, I had a good night's sleep. Where's Papyrus?" replied Frisk.

"Oh, he's dressing up. After that, we can go to the old man's,"

"Should I wake Sans up, then?" asked Frisk.

"Just a bit later,"

Soon, Papyrus emerged from his room and greeted everyone. Sans woke up at the same time. As the quad passed by the echo flowers, Frisk asked everyone to quiet down so that they could perform the little ritual of theirs: listening in to each one of the flowers.

'I wish that I could win the snail race one day, yo,'

'I hope that she'll accept my feelings,'

There were many different kinds of wishes every time Frisk listened to them. They tried to make them into reality if they had the power to. One particular echo flower contained something interesting.

'Thank you, Frisk, for setting me free. From Chara,' a voice that sounded like twinkling bells said.

Frisk looked at the 'stars' on the ceiling and smiled. Undyne tapped their shoulder and pointed towards another flower.

'I'm sorry, Mom, Dad, I didn't mean to be so evil towards you. I hope that bringing Asriel back to life works as a means of apology. Cherish him,' said the same voice.

Frisk never knew that Chara had such a beautiful voice. They always heard their thoughts through Asriel's voice. This was a whole new experience. The two skeletons, the fish plus the human finally arrived at Hotland. Frisk handed Undyne a bottle of water for safety precautions. Undyne took it gladly.

"To think that Chara had such an angelic voice," commented Frisk.

"Makes you think why they're so vile, right?" replied Undyne.

"Haha, that's what humans are," said Frisk. "They look so innocent, yet they're really evil deep down, or the other way round,"

Alphys was not in her lab because she decided to visit the Amalgamates that had no family. She would take them outside the lab to have some fresh air. Frisk, Papyrus, Undyne and Sans walked on, until they reached the castle. They'd arrive at the throne room minutes later.

* * *

Asgore was watering the flowers as the visitors approached. "Oh, howdy, Frisk, Undyne, Papyrus and Sans. Would you like to have some tea with me today?"

"We are here to deliver news, Your Majesty. But I am sure that tea goes well with it," replied Papyrus.

"I do not think highly of formalities, dear Papyrus. You may call me Asgore," replied the King of the Underground.

"May I help you prepare the tea?" offered Frisk.

"That would be most appreciated, my child," Asgore smiled. They noticed that wrinkles had begun to form on his face. _'That's definitely a good sign,'_ they thought.

Everything was all set a few moments later. A pot of jasmine tea was placed on a picnic table along with a platter of scones.

"Wowie! It sure looks mouth-watering," exclaimed Papyrus.

"Do not be shy and enjoy yourself," said Asgore.

"Did you know that Asriel's back?" Undyne asked Asgore as she munched on a scone.

Asgore smiled kindly. "I appreciate your kind thought, Undyne, but everyone knows that the dead cannot be revived as they almost always turn into dust,"

Just then, someone screamed: "Dad! I missed you!"

They all looked at the owner of the voice. Asgore's eyes widened, recognizing the familiar voice. It belonged to none other than Asriel. Asriel leaped into his father's arms. Tears began to form on the king's eyes as he saw Toriel and his son once again.

"Asriel, is that really you?" he asked, trying to dry his tears.

"Well, I'm _asriel_ as you are," replied his son.

"Is that a mini Asgore? Wow, we have a clean-shaven Asgore and a mini Asgore now," remarked Papyrus.

"Howdy, all of you!" Asriel greeted.

"Come join us, Toriel," invited Frisk, looking at their mother figure, who stood some distance away. Toriel took a seat the furthest from Asgore, but the closest to Sans.

"So how did you do this?" whispered Frisk to Sans. "Getting her to come, I mean,"

"I have my own magic, child," said Sans, winking.

"You look more stunning than ever, Tori," said Asgore awkwardly.

"So do you," replied Toriel, not unkindly.

"Three cheers for Asgore, Toriel and Asriel reuniting!" Undyne declared.

"Have I ever said that I would resume my job as the Queen of the Underground?" questioned Toriel, iciness lacing her tone.

Everyone was taken aback by the statement. Sans too, though he masked it well.

"Look, Tori, I know that the lives that I have taken will never come back, nor will it ever be compensated with anything I do. I repent every day, and it haunts my sleep as well," confessed Asgore.

"Serves you right, Dreemurr," responded Toriel.

"I have no right to change your views about me, but I have tried to atone for my sins," repeated Asgore.

"Come on, Toriel, I believe that Asgore deserves another chance. I mean, he's tried to right his wrongs," Frisk chimed in.

"Aww, Mom, please don't be so distant towards Dad! A castle without you is a depressing one, and I don't want my family in shambles when I've gotten another chance to have you two in my life again," beseeched Asriel.

"We need a queen as well as a king," said Undyne. "And you're the rightful Queen of the Underground,"

"Family is meant to be together, just like us brothers," said Papyrus, putting a hand on Sans's shoulder.

"Yep. Goats are supposed to be _to-goat-her_ ," said Sans.

"OH MY GOODNESS SANS! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND YOU HAVE RUINED IT!" chided Papyrus. Sans chuckled as he shrugged.

"Please, Toriel, just give me one more chance to fix this," pleaded Asgore. "For our family,"

Toriel suddenly stood up. "I'm sorry, everyone, but I have places to go. Come, Asriel, let us depart,"

"But Mom! You didn't settle this yet!" protested her son.

"Yeah, don't leave this un-settled," added Sans, putting good use to the double meaning of the word, nonchalant towards Papyrus's death stare.

"Right then. Sans, come here for a while," Toriel pulled the skeleton in blue to the back room.

The rest of them stared in silence, Asgore contemplating what could've made Toriel so _fur-ious_ all of a sudden. Asriel glanced at Frisk, who returned it.

"Say, how did you come back, Son?" Asgore decided to break the silence.

"Chara traded their SOUL for mine, apparently," answered Asriel.

"Chara?" Asgore raised an eyebrow.

"Did you hear about the incident in Snowdin yesterday?"

"Yes, I have caught wind about it. Everyone ran amok, or so I have heard. I do believe that no one is hurt,"

"Frisk is our hero, actually. They convinced Chara to change and to move on. I hope that they're in a better place now,"

Asgore looked at Frisk, surprised. "They have always been very stubborn, I'm very amazed that you managed to enlighten them,"

"Well, it was actually quite difficult, and for a second I thought that they'll kill me on the spot," said Frisk. "Sans and Mr. Grillby helped to subdue Chara as well,"

"You nearly made me think that Chara killed you. That was scary, you know?" continued Asriel. Papyrus, Undyne and Asgore was shocked.

"I'd place a bet that the 'ketchup' I cleaned was blood, but it did smell like tomatoes," growled Undyne.

"So you're sure that you're fine?" asked Asriel.

"Actually…" Suddenly, Frisk coughed blood up and was rendered unconscious, their head hitting the table. Let's hope that they didn't pass away. The others felt dread sinking in.

Papyrus urgently put Frisk onto the ground, which happened to be a bed of flowers. The sight reminded Asriel of a painful memory. _Chara._

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," muttered Asriel. "Frisk, why are you doing this all of a sudden?"

Undyne dipped a finger onto Frisk's blood and smelled it. "Guys," she said, annoyance kicking in.

"What is it?" the others asked.

"It's just ketchup."

Frisk's laughter filled the room. "Seems like I got you again," they sat up.

"Human, do not play with our feelings like that anymore. You'll soon be like the boy who cried wolf," chided Papyrus, remembering of one such story Sans had read to him.

"I was reenacting what I did to Chara to fool them," explained Frisk.

"Wow, that's extremely real," said Undyne.

"You should consider being an actor alongside Mettaton," said Asgore.

"You know how hard it is to play dead, right? I mean, I had bring ketchup along and hold my breath and all," said Frisk. "Just for Asriel to come back. So cherish him like Chara said, okay?"

Just then, Toriel and Sans returned from the back room. Asgore tensed up, hoping that the answer Toriel was going to tell him wasn't negative.

"I have considered, along with Sans's advices, that I shall forgive you, Asgore Dreemurr. This is your last chance. If you manage to mess it up, I will personally destroy you, understand?" said Toriel.

"T-Tori, you'll forgive me?" hope glimmered in Asgore's eyes.

"Accept it before I change my mind," Toriel looked away, her cheeks flushed.

"I shall forever be grateful for your mercy," said Asgore, smiling out of happiness, a burden lifted. Toriel, seeing this, could not help but to smile back. Asgore secretly winked at Sans. He returned it.

"So your 'magic' works on Toriel every time, eh?" said Frisk.

"Yep. I was also as hard as convincing Chara, you know. They're literally peas in a pod, both stubborn as mules," replied Sans.

They all chose to go to Grillby's to celebrate. Toriel decided to invite them to the RUINS to have some of her signature butterscotch-cinnamon pie afterwards. Everyone happily agreed.

As they walked in, all the former Royal Guards were more than happy to see their king and queen, reconciled after all these years of conflict. They were also delighted to see their former captain, Undyne.

"Long time no see, Asgore," said Dogamy.

"I'm happy for you two being reunited," continued Dogaressa. "Oh! Hello, Asriel, how much we've missed you ever since you're gone! Your family is finally complete again," she smiled.

"Anyways, enjoy your stay here," said Doggo, facing the opposite of where the newcomers were.

"Doggo, we're right here," said Frisk. The dog awkwardly looked back, grinning sheepishly.

"A-anyway, you've promised to play cards with us, right? Would today be the right day?" he said instead. Frisk gladly joined them.

The royal family and their friends chose a table on the side of the restaurant. Grillby came over and took their order. When he memorized all the things the customers had ordered, he leaned close to Sans, whispering "When are you going to pay off your tab, Mr. Sans?" in a very menacing tone.

Sans took a bag of money out of his jacket pocket. "Hope it's enough, Grillbz. If there's any change, please return it to me," he said shamelessly.

"No. They will be compensation for the time that you took to pay them all back," said Grillby in a joking manner, leaving for the fire exit.

The occupants of the table talked about their lives before reuniting with each other. It has to be one of the cosiest moments in Grillby's restaurant. After all, everyone deserves a happy life.

And also a happy ending as well.

* * *

" **How was the story, darlings? Was it a good story?" Mettaton said. "This marks the end of the story 'Ambivalence'. We thank you for your support so far, and we hope to see you in the next story. Toodles!"**

 **Determination.**


End file.
